


Unconditional Love Comes From Family

by wolvesnroses



Category: Chicago Med, Chicago PD (TV), The Night Shift (TV 2014)
Genre: Sibling Love, War, prosthetic leg, water fights
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-16
Updated: 2018-08-07
Packaged: 2019-06-11 15:25:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,175
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15318462
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wolvesnroses/pseuds/wolvesnroses
Summary: When the reader comes home from war, you doesn't exactly go to Chicago. Instead, and thanks to a friend of yours, you end up in San Antonio, TX. Your brothers decide to pay a visit.





	1. Returning Home

In the last four years, you had completed two tours- the first was a year and a half, while the second sent you to the Middle East for two years. What royally sucked was the six months in between. You had just gotten adjusted to civilian life again when they called you back for the second. I was naïve about war, you thought to yourself as you waited on the tarmac for Dr. Drew Alister. Drew was a friend you met while serving your second tour. He was an Army medic as well, and had convinced SAMH to hire you on, as you needed an actual job now that you had received a medical discharge from the Army. The medical discharge was received while you had been in Iraq. A second IED had blown up while you were tending to the initial IED blast victims, and the second blast ripped the bottom half your left leg off. Drew was coming to pick you up so he could show you around San Antonio and help you figure your way around the city a bit. You didn't know how to tell your brothers, Jay and Will Halstead, that their baby sister, who left in perfect condition- though slightly annoyed that they were pissed off about your enlistment- was coming back in more than one piece. So, in an effort to avoid that conversation, you had talked to Drew about working at San Antonio Memorial with him. Barely any convincing had to be done on his part, as the hospital board was exceptional about hiring veteran, or active duty, doctors. They had been desperate for an ER trauma doctor after Scott left that department to help head the cardiac department. You were shocked back to reality when a hand touched your shoulder. You saw Drew had a smirk on his face.  
"Earth to (Y/N)."  
"Sorry." You smiled sheepishly. "Hey, Drew."  
"Hey. How was the flight?"  
"Not too bad. For an Army flight, anyway."  
"Good. How's the leg?" Drew was the person you confided in about your leg, and he was your emergency contact. You had pulled your brothers off shortly before the accident.  
"Not too bad. Finally adjusted to the prosthetic. Still feels weird though, to know that I am walking on two legs, only one of which is my flesh and blood."  
"Yeah, Rick had the same struggle. But he loves his new line of work." Rick had only started working for SWAT for about a month now. You had heard that Rick had struggled after the accident that caused Rick to become an amputee, and you had the crap fortune to have to go through the same struggle, only there wasn't anyone who denied loving you until just before surgery. Drew had confided in you about the fear that Rick wouldn't make it through surgery.  
"I am so happy. I just hope I continue to have his luck." You winked at Drew, and he knew you were being a smartass.  
"This is gonna be interesting." Drew had a baby smile on his face when he muttered that.  
   
   
When you finally arrived at your new house after spending the day with Drew, you were exhausted, so you double-checked your alarm on your phone. It was set, so you showered, and went to bed.  
You were standing as close to the entrance to the hospital as you could. The call for all emergency medics had gone out ten minutes ago. There had been an IED explosion, and natives injured in the blast, not just fellow soldiers. When the Humvee finally got to the hospital, you were the first one out the door. You had a love-hate relationship with moments like these. You hated that people had been injured, but there was a certain rush of adrenaline that came with these parts of the day.  
   
_When you finally arrived on scene, there was blood everywhere, not to mention the metal from the vehicle that had triggered the IED. You took in the scene before you for a moment, before rushing into the fray. The first two bodies you approached were just that, bodies. The third was still alive, but his guts were exposed to the outside world due to a huge cut across his abdomen. You acquired the plastic wrap that sat in your go-bag for situations like this, and wrapped it around the exposed organs. You waved down a couple of people who were transporting victims, and informed them of the status of this patient. Once you finished, you left and ran to the next victim. This was one you would never forget. It was the body of a young boy. The dull and lifeless look in his eye shook you to your core. But you had almost no time to focus on him, because you heard a familiar click. Your head darted up to meet the eyes of someone else, who'd been sentenced to death with that click._  
 _"Don't move!" You screamed, only the person didn't quite listen to you. You knew what was coming, and waited in terror as they lifted their leg._  
   
You woke up on the floor wrapped in your sheets, and covered in sweat. You looked at your phone. There was still twenty minutes before your alarm was supposed to go off, so you dismissed the alarm and got ready for the day, as you first night shift at SAMH was in a few hours. You were kind of excited to have the ability to practice medicine again, and not the be the patient. Besides, tonight you gonna be meeting new coworkers.  
   
   
When you finally arrived at San Antonio Memorial, the first place you went to visit was the office of one Michael Ragosa, seeing as he would be introducing you as the new head of the Emergency Department. You wondered, not for the first time since leaving overseas, just how many people your accepting the position would frustrate and anger because they wanted your job. The one hope you had for the job regarding coworkers was you wanted most of them if not all, to trust you. And, of course, you knew that would take time, but you didn't want to be working with people who didn't trust you, as you had dealt with that plenty. You knocked on the door.  
"Come in." declared the person inside. You walked in.  
"Hello, my name is Dr. (Y/N) Halstead, and I was hoping to speak with a Mr. Ragosa?" You confirmed.  
"Just Michael is fine. And it's a pleasure to meet you, Dr. Halstead." He had been ecstatic that he didn't have to risk putting TC in as the ED head.  
"Okay, if you insist that I call you Michael, then I insist you call me (Y/N)." You smiled.  
"Wonderful. Now that those introductions are out of the way, I wanted to let you know, that if you need anything, you let me know, okay?  
"Of course."  
"Now, shall we get the biggest introduction over with, then?" He clapped his hands, and your nerves made an appearance in your stomach.  
   
After following Michael down to the ER, you both continued over to the nurses' station.  
"Everyone!" Michael yelled, attempting to gather everyone's attention over the usual hustle and bustle.  
"Hey!" He finally succeeded. "Meet your new head of the Emergency Department," you stepped up beside him, "this is Dr. (Y/N) Halstead. Make her feel welcome, please. And TC, can I speak to you and her for a moment?" TC nodded, but you saw the suspicion in his eyes, and Drew's grin nearly split his face.  
Pulling you both to the side, Michael began, "(Y/N), this is Dr. Callahan, or TC to most of us around here."  
"Pleasure to meet you Dr. Callahan." You smiled gently.  
"Same to you, Dr. Halstead."  
"Please, just (Y/N), at least when we're not around patients."  
"Then you can call me TC."  
"Anyway," Michael butted back in, "I was hoping TC would be willing to show you around." TC nodded in response to the unspoken question.  
   
TC started the tour in the locker room while trying to figure out why your name sounded familiar. "This is where you'll change into scrubs, and keep any food you don't get here, which contrary to popular belief isn't actually that terrible. Just have to know what to get."  
"I've found that to be true for most hospitals." You stated.  
"Hop-a-long doctor, then?" He raised his eyebrows. Hop-a-long doctors never stayed at one hospital for too long, so TC was surprised SAMH had hired one.  
"No, patient, actually." TC was confused. There didn't seem to be anything wrong with you, physically, anyway.  
"Huh?" He stopped walking to face you, and you explained, showing him your prosthetic.  
"I was on my second tour, and an IED blew up. It tore the bottom part of my leg off. Finally finished with most of the doctor's visits, and rehab. Thank goodness."  
"Oh, you just don't walk like an amputee." He stated.  
You smirked, "Does Rick?"  
"Point taken." He turned to finish the tour.  
   
Three hours later, and TC had finally finished your tour. "So, what do you think of our home?"  
"Protective of it much, Callahan?" you asked, sarcasm dripping in your tone. It hit him like a rock being thrown full force into his chest.  
"Halstead?"  
"Yeah?" You furrowed your brows in confusion. Hadn't you cleared this up earlier?  
"As in, your brother is Detective Halstead? From Chicago?"  
"How the hell do you know Jay?" Shock rippled through you.  
"I'm a former Army Ranger. Served a glancing tour with him. Good man, good soldier."  
"No shit. Wow. I never thought I'd meet another him."  
"How's he doing?"  
"… Uh, h-he's doing well." you replied with hesitancy.  
"Okay? Anyway, shift has started, so if you need anything, you let me know, and we'll get it figured out." He shifted the subject, reading your body language. Maybe he could talk to Drew about it later.  
"Thanks for the grand tour, TC. Hey, before you go, would you mind giving me your basic read on the people on this shift? Who do I need to keep an eye on? And who is good at their job?" You asked, hoping he'd help you out.  
   
After shift, TC was mulling over what he'd learned earlier. He couldn't believe that he'd met you and your brother in different parts of the world. He wondered if the number he had in his phone for your brother was still good; he also wondered if your brother knew you were down here. TC was determined to find out, so once he was back into his regular clothes, TC snagged his phone from his locker and went into his contacts. Once he found Jay's number, he dialed. Ring, Ring.  
"This is Detective Halstead." came from the phone.  
"Jay Halstead?" TC wanted confirmation before giving out information.  
"Yes, who is this?"  
"Sorry, this is TC Callahan. We served in the Rangers together?" TC attempted to jog the man's memory, in case Jay had forgotten TC.  
"Wow. I didn't think you'd actually ever use this number, man. How are you?"  
"Yeah, sorry about that."  
"No worries." A slight chuckle accompanied the words across the phone line.  
"I've been pretty good."  
"Good."  
"Jay, you never mentioned a sister. You spoke about your brother, but never your sister." Confusion laced TC's tone.  
"I never mentioned her because I always knew Will could handle himself, but she's my little sister, I just wanted to protect her. If she was never mentioned, then people wouldn't know she existed and she couldn't be used as leverage against myself. How do you know about her?"  
"I found out when she became my boss."  
"Don't you work in San Antonio?"  
"Yeah, why?" TC's initial question had been answered, but slowly, more questions than answers were building in this conversation.  
"My sister can't be your boss, she's overseas. She's an Army medic. (Y/N) would've told me she was back."  
"(Y/N) is the new head of our ER. She started last shift. I gave her the tour. Trust me, she's here. Is there any reason she wouldn't have told you?"  
"Not that I can think of. I'm glad someone knows where she is."  
"Me too. If you want, Ranger to Ranger, I can keep an eye on her for you."  
"That'd be much appreciated, man. I have to go as there is a certain person I need to call. Talk soon, TC?"  
"Of course. Have fun with your little conversation." TC smiled as the phone beeped to signal the end of the call, and tucked it in his pocket.  
   
ZZZT, ZZZT, ZZZZT. (Y/N)'s phone buzzed on the table next to her. She looked over at it, and saw her brother's face on the screen. She answered. "Hey, what's up, bro?"  
"Don't you 'What's up, bro' me, little sis. Why didn't you tell us you were stateside? Why didn't you call us to tell us you were home?"  
"Woah, wait a minute, how'd you find out?" Accusation soaked your voice.  
"I have my sources, but that doesn't answer the question."  
You sighed in defeat, "I didn't tell you, " you voice dropped and Jay didn't hear your answer, "because I was ashamed."  
"What? Try again, and loud enough for me to hear." "Fine. I didn't tell you because I was ashamed." You punctuated your words.  
"Why, (Y/N)? Why are you ashamed?"  
Sadness now clung to your voice like a flower to the last ray of sun before the clouds. "I didn't come home in one piece like you, Jay. I didn't come home and deal with just PTSD. I had millions of doctor's appointments, and you'd only see me as weak if I'd come home that way. I couldn't bear the thought of my brothers seeing me like that, so instead, I called a friend of mine, and he helped me get a job down here in San Antonio. And I'm sorry, but I'm not coming back."  
Jay audibly sucked in a breath, "Hey, no worries, Chicago's not for everyone." Then something you said hit him, "What did you mean you weren't just dealing with PTSD?" Curiosity rang in his tone. "(Y/N)? What did you mean?" He asked again when you didn't respond.  
Huh, so he did catch that. You thought if you skated over it, he wouldn't have caught it, but the man wouldn't have made detective if he missed the little things. "Do we have to talk about it?" You tried.  
"Yes, (Y/N), we do. You can't just say something like that, and not expect my big sibling protect baby sibling instinct to come out."  
"Fine, I lost part of my leg." Suddenly, it was out there, and you slightly panicked. What if he didn't want to deal with you and your flaws anymore? What if this was where he drew the line because he didn't want to admit to being related to someone who wasn't all there, physically? Jay's voice drew you out, "leg?" You caught the end of his sentence. "What? Sorry. Got a little lost there."  
Jay chuckled darkly, he'd been where you were at, maybe not physically, but mentally, hell yeah. "No worries, little sis. I get it. I just asked how much is part of your leg?"  
"U-um." You stalled. You didn't want to answer, if only because you lied.  
"(Y/N)." Jay's voice grew stern.  
"Dammit, big brother." You rolled your eyes as if Jay could see the annoyance on your face. "I lost… all of it." You voice quieted with the admission. Now the ball was in Jay's court. He could love you or he could disown you. You knew which you wanted, and you hoped fate would roll your way. Thankfully, today it did.  
"Shit, I'm sorry, little sis."  
"Don't be. I knew the risks when I enlisted. I love you, Jay."  
"I love you too, (Y/N/N), I love you too. Now, tell me about your new job and your friend." You laughed, relief flooding your system.

 

Jay was sitting at his desk with his head in his hands. He needed to call Will, but he didn't want to tell him that they had failed to protect you. But he was afraid that Will would blame him, even though it was your choice to enlist. He didn't want to face that. He finally drew his head out of his hands when he heard someone approach him. Antonio sat on his desk, so Jay scooted back in his chair and rubbed a hand over his face. "What's up, man?" Jay asked.  
"Not much. What's seems to be the issue with you?"  
"My sister is back." Antonio whistled in sympathy. He was one of the few people who knew about you in the unit.  
"When did she get back?"  
"Apparently, long enough to get a job, and go to the doctor." Antonio's eyebrows furrowed.  
"What do you mean go to the doctor?"  
"Sh-ahum,” he cleared his throat, “she lost her leg?" Jay still couldn't believe it.  
"What? What do you mean?" Horror rang in Antonio's voice.  
"I don't know, all she said was she lost her leg." Understanding lit up Antonio's eyes.  
"Ah. And she didn't want to come home to her big brothers who are protective, and tell them she was no longer a whole person." Out of everyone in the office, Antonio had always best understood how you thought, due to Gabby.  
"Wait a minute, huh?" Confusion soaked his voice.  
"You and Will are notoriously protective, even over people who aren't related to you. She is already dealing with having to figure out how to live without a leg, and she was probably afraid that telling you that happened would change your relationship. I'll bet she didn't want that to change. For her, it probably seems like the rug has been yanked out from under her, and the only thing stopping her from falling is you and Will. She thinks that if you don't know, your relationship with her wouldn't change." Jay opened his mouth to protest, "It would though, Jay. You and Will would baby her, and she doesn’t want that anymore. She needs something to stay the same. Is she dealing with PTSD too?"  
Jay nodded. "Yeah, and thanks for telling me all that. I'm not sure I would've thought about it that way."  
Antonio smirked, "Invite her up here, though. We want to see her."  
"I will. Thanks, man."  
"No problem, good luck with Will." Jay still wasn't looking forward to that, but there wasn't an excuse to put it off anymore.  
   
Will had just sat down at a table in the cafeteria when his phone began buzzing. "This is Dr. Halstead."  
"Hey Will. It's Jay."  
"Jay? Is everything alright?" Jay usually just texted him, so something must've been wrong.  
"Yeah. It's all good. Have you spoken to (Y/N) recently?"  
"No, I figured she was busy with soldier-y stuff."  
"Soldier-y? What world did you yank that from? Never mind, I don't want to know. She's back. Apparently, she's been back for a while."  
"Really? Where's she at, then? Where has she been staying? Because, I know she hasn't been back to her old place. It finally sold." He was referring to the home you put up for sale just before the accident.  
"Apparently, San Antonio."  
"Texas? Why the hell would she choose Texas instead of here?" Jay repeated what Antonio had told him.  
"Oh."  
"Yeah. Me too, man, me too."  
"So, she's okay then, at least for the most part?"  
"Yeah, she's okay, Will." Will sighed in relief. He was hurt that you hadn't allowed him and Jay to help with your recovery, but he did sort of understand it. Sometimes he wondered maybe if Jay hadn't come straight home, if he'd have dealt with the PTSD better. That if maybe Jay had done what you did, he'd never tried what he did. After a moment of thinking, an idea came to Will.  
"Jay, can you get some time off, soon? Like maybe in a couple weeks, just take a vacation?" Jay's suspicion was felt through the phone,  
"Not to hang out. But what if we visited (Y/N) for like two weeks?"  
"Yeah, let's do that." They argued about the dates for a bit, before they finally found a good date for both of them, and they hung up.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the wait, folks! Enjoy. 
> 
> P.S.: There is a little thing from Supernatural. I don't own that either!

You sat in the airport waiting area. You were both terrified and ecstatic that your brothers had come to see you. You were terrified about how they would react now that they would actually have to face with how your lifestyle. But you had missed them dearly. You wondered how much they had changed. Finally, you heard their plane was landing, so you stood up. Impatiently, you waited for them to walk through the gate. You saw someone with a red mop of hair that you recognized. You waited until they had passed you, as you hadn’t told them you were coming. You walked behind them and once you caught up, you gently hugged the younger of the two. “Hey, Will.” Sentimentality drenched your voice, and you almost wanted to cry.  
Jay flipped around at the sound of your voice, and Will’s voice was tinged with happiness when he spoke. “Little sis!”  
“How was the flight?” You asked.  
Jay smiled, “Not too bad, other than the usual.” You chuckled. Jay continued, “How was your shift last night?”  
“It wasn’t too bad. You know, the usual,” you smirked.  
“Ha-ha, (Y/N/N). Real funny.” Jay sarcastically declared. You picked up the bag Will had dropped when you hugged him, and started walking. Their flight had gotten in mid-afternoon, so you’d been able to go home and sleep for a while after your shift before needing to get up to pick up Jay and Will from the airport. You were all in good spirits by the time the three of you had reached your pickup. When you went to open the driver’s door, Jay held it shut. You looked up at him, confused. “Not today, little sis. Today, I am driving.”  
“Okay.” You agreed, because for whatever reason your prosthetic was bugging you today. Jay raised an eyebrow at your easy agreement.  
Will butted in, “So, do we get to meet your friends while we’re here?”  
You smiled, “Yes, Will. You get to meet some of them and all of my coworkers. They are waiting for us at my house.”  
Will’s face split into a huge grin. “What are we waiting on, then? Best not to keep people waiting.” He looked over at you, once you all had climbed in. “Is everything all right?” He saw you rubbing just below your hip, and concern had risen.  
“Yeah, just a little sore. Not sure why, though. It’s been a while since I’ve dealt with this pain.” The doctor came to the forefront in Will.  
“Is it an ache, or a throbbing?” he asked.  
“Nuh-uh. Not answering that. You aren’t my doctor. I’m sorry, but you’re my brother.”  
Will hesitated a moment before answering, thinking about what you said. “You’re right. I’m sorry.”  
“Did you just say I was right? Jay! Did you hear that?”  
“Yep.”  
You smiled, looking at Will. “Don’t tell anyone, I’ll just deny it,” he smirked. You shook your head gently. With that, the awkward moment was over. When you finally arrived at your house, you all climbed out the car, and headed inside.  
As soon as you walked in, Drew stood up, an apprehensive look on his face. “Hello. I’m Drew, and this is TC, Jordan, and Topher.” He continued with everyone else, pointing at each person respectively.  
“Guys, these are my brothers. Jay and Will.” Everyone kind of split into little groups talking amongst themselves. You, however, stood off to the side by choice and just observed.  
A few minutes later, Drew approached you. “How was the drive over?”  
“Not too bad, I only had to correct Will once.”  
“Wow. They seem like nice people, (Y/N).”  
“Yeah, they are the best.” You turned to Drew.  
“Why does it feel like I let them down, still?”  
He smiled sympathetically, “I don’t know. Rick felt the same way about his family though. I think it has something to do with your hero complex.”  
“Haha,” you muttered sarcastically.  
“So, who do you think is gonna man the grill tonight? TC or Jay?”  
“If I had my way, neither. You, for whatever reason, are the better cook, my friend.”  
“I am not gonna argue that one. Thanks, but I think neither one’s going to win.” He pointed to something angled behind you, so you turned around and saw TC lighting the grill. You smirked. Of course they called it a draw. What was it Jay told you once? Something along the lines of, Rangers fight, or compete, apparently, in times of peace, so they are at peace in times of war. You hadn’t believed him when he told you; now, seeing it in action, you reluctantly agreed with that statement. You looked through the crowd for Will. When you finally found him, he was chatting with Jordan. He and TC were a lot alike, as doctors. Both had a reckless abandon when it came to saving lives. It didn’t matter that Will’s stunts affected his career, or that TC’s affected his wellbeing, they were willing to put them on the line, and risk their asses to save their patient. And both had the tendency to advocate strongly for the patient, even if it’s to the patient. You were willing to bet Jordan was enjoying talking to Will, though. “Looks like both of your brothers are having fun, so, why don’t you sit and relax? I can tell your leg is bothering you.” Drew had seen the flinches, small as they were, across your body every time you walked somewhere.  
“Yeah, okay, Doctor Alister.” You responded, now searching for a chair.  
“Better?” He questioned, once you were sitting. Now if only-  
“Are you alright?” Your brother’s voice cut you off from answering Drew’s question.  
“Yes, and yes. I am fine. I just needed to sit for a moment. Don’t baby me, Will.” Although the first part of your answer had been soft, your voice had taken on an edge, warning him to back off.  
“Okay. Let me know if you need anything, kay, (Y/N/N)?” You glared at him. This visit wasn’t going to be easy. Chuckling at you, Will returned to where he had come from, and you heard a slight chuckle come from the man standing next to you.  
“What’s so funny, Doctor?” You raised your eyebrows in challenge.  
Drew, recognizing the signs of your frustration, held up his hands in the universal sign for surrender. “Nothing, nothing at all. Promise.”  
You apologetically shook your head. “Sorry, I shouldn’t have snapped at you. There isn’t an excuse.”  
“All is forgiven. Leg still hurt, or is it better?” When Drew first met you, he had tried to treat you like a patient, but had quickly learned not to, especially after being hit by whatever was handy a few times.  
“Give me a few minutes to answer that.” You let your feet rest for a minute, before deciding that pain meds wouldn’t be needed. Although you were in pain, you weren’t gonna take anything for it, except a few moments to get the weight off.  
“You don’t want anything, do you?” Drew sighed. You could be the most stubborn person he knew.  
You shook your head in response. “Nah, I’m good here on the bar stool.” He raised his eyebrows, and shrugged.  
“Kay.”  
“Kay.” You smiled. Drew had been a better friend to you in a few months than some friends you’d had for years. No matter how you met, you were glad that he was your friend.  
  
Jay watched you out of the corner of his eye, while he was helping TC grill. “How has she been doing?” he asked.  
“Man, she fits right in.”  
“How so?” Curiosity lit up in Jay’s voice.  
“She isn’t afraid to take charge. Last night, we had a patient come in who was extremely violent, and she just stood in front of him, and… Well, basically lectured him into sitting on the bed.” TC had struggled to define what you’d done to the patient last night.  
“Seriously?” Jay was impressed. He knew you had done that to a couple of Will’s bullies, but he thought you’d grown out of that. Apparently, he’d been wrong. He had been so proud to learn that you had joined the Army, even if the thought of you never returning home petrified him. Will had been angry at Jay for not fighting against you joining. But Jay knew, whenever someone told you not to do something, your resolve would strengthen. He never knew why, and he was okay with that.  
“So, how’s Chicago been?” TC’s question drew him out of his thoughts.  
“Not too bad. At least the scenery never changes. How’s San Antonio?”  
“Pretty good, man. It’s a great town. And I love the people I work with.”  
“Good. "   
Will was keeping a closer eye on you since you had sat down, but continued his conversation with Jordan.  
“Is everything alright?” Jordan finally asked. Although everyone knew you were injured, no one knew exactly what the injury was. The rumors were everything from a strained muscle that you kept pulling to some disease.  
“Yeah, sorry. What were we talking about?”  
“Um, I believe it was comparing weirdest patients.” Will chuckled.  
“Yeah, I think you win that one.”  
“Yes!” she cheered. When you smiled, Will relaxed his guard a little bit, but still careful about watching you. He knew you were in pain, and hated the fact that you wouldn’t allow him to help you.  
  
You looked around, and decided that everyone was doing well enough for you to leave for a few minutes, so you looked up at Drew, who hadn’t left you since you sat down. “Would you mind helping me up to my room?” you questioned.  
“Of course, (Y/N). Do you want me to let anyone know?” He looked over at your brothers pointedly.  
“No, everyone knows where to find things in here. If not, they’ll look or they’ll ask.”  
“Okay,” he helped you stand up and guided you to the stairs as you leaned on him. After the fourteen steps, your leg was giving you hell, so you stopped for a minute. “You okay?” Drew’s voice was laced with concern.  
“Yeah, just need a second.” You frowned slightly in pain. He waited until you stepped forward before continuing to help you into your room, where you promptly sat on the bed. “I’ll be okay. Would you mind checking on everything downstairs?” you asked, and Drew knew what you were going to do, so he nodded.  
“Yeah. Just text me when you’re ready to come down, okay? That way I know to listen for crashing?” He smiled.  
“Yeah.” You smirked. After he left, you promptly pulled off your pants, to reveal your shorts. You then pulled off the prosthetic leg, and began to massage the aching muscles. A few seconds later, you heard a couple of sharp raps on your door. “Come in,” you called.  
“Hey,” Will poked his head in. “Are you okay? I saw you and Drew come up here.”  
“I am fine, Will. Just needed to unstrap for a second.” Will came in but stopped short when he saw your leg. He stared at it for a few moments. You were gradually becoming annoyed the longer he stared. Finally, you waved at him.  
“Sorry, what?” he apologized.  
“Was there anything else you needed? Or did you just come in here to bug me?”  
“Why?” He asked, meeting your gaze.  
“What do you mean, why?” You were confused.  
“Why didn’t you come back to Chicago? Why didn’t you tell me or Jay that you were back?”  
You rubbed a hand over your face. “I didn’t go back to Chicago because I thought if I didn’t go back no one would be mad at me for leaving in one piece, and coming home in two. I didn’t tell you or Jay because if I had, would you’ve let me see anyone else but Rhodes? I know you think he is one of the best, but it isn’t your responsibility to look out for me like that.”  
“Yes! It is!” He yelled.  
“No!” You took a deep breath to calm down, and continued in a quieter voice. “You are my brother, Will. You aren’t my doctor. You are not responsible for my well-being- you don’t need to play babysitter anymore.”  
“I- You’re right. I’m sorry. I just wish I could have convinced you to stay and not enlist.”  
“Will, what happened, it could have happened to anyone. I’m not special- do you know how many soldiers come home missing pieces of themselves? Lots, Will, lots. Look at Jay.”

 Jay had been caught up in grilling and chatting with TC, but now that everyone was stuffing their faces, he wondered where you and Will had disappeared to. He looked around your backyard and noticed Drew sitting at a table. He wandered over. “Hey Drew.” He greeted.  
“Hey, Jay. What’s up?”  
“You know where my sister went?”  
“Yeah, she’s upstairs in her room.” He answered truthfully, figuring since Will was already up there, you wouldn’t mind one more.  
“Thanks, man.” Jay strode up to your room once he entered the house. Since your door was open, he walked right in. Listening to you and Will, he caught the end of your statement, “Look at Jay.” Figuring now was a good time to interrupt, he asked, “What about me?”  
“Nothing. What are you doing up here?”  
“I came searching for you once I noticed you ditched your own party.” He smirked as if he had heard a joke that was only somewhat funny. You recognized that he was trying to lighten the mood, and went with it.  
You raised an eyebrow, “Oh? I didn’t realize I was throwing a party. I thought it was just a small get together for friends and family.” He recognized your challenge to his jest.  
“What?” He faked a surprised look. “Why didn’t anyone tell me this wasn’t a party? I wouldn’t have worn my favorite party clothes!”  
You caught the sarcasm and grinned.  
“You are soooo mean!” Jay jokingly accused. You both heard Will chuckling, so Jay turned to him, “And you! You’re gonna laugh at me?”  
Will shook his head so hard, you thought, for a second, that it might shoot into your closet. “Absolutely not, big bro!"  
"That’s it, you’d better sleep with one eye open, young man!”  
“Or what,” he hesitated, emphasizing his next words, “old man?” You leaned back on your head board, grabbing your stomach in laughter. You had missed this, but you hadn’t realized how much until now. “So, back to seriousness, though. What were you two trouble makers talking about when I came in?” Jay asked, losing the grin. “Nothing, Jay. We were just having a discussion about… things.” You hesitated. Jay’s suspicion rose,” What type of ‘things’? He made quotations with his fingers.  
“Jay, let it go, man.” You told him.  
Will stood up. “Dude, we were just talking about medical disorders.” He shot you look that you read as, ‘I’m not keeping secrets from him’. “We were talking about her new life here, and some issues she’s having.”  
“So why was I mentioned?” Jay aimed his question at Will since he was the only one answering them. “Because she’s struggling with some things, and you struggle with them as well.”  
“What do you mean?” Jay’s eyebrows furrowed.  
“She didn’t want to tell us about certain things she brought back from overseas, just like you don’t share.” Will’s voice wasn’t accusatory, just matter-of-fact.  
“Oh.” Jay wasn’t sure how to respond to that.  
"Well, we can talk about this later, however, there are people downstairs." You finally jumped in, grabbing the prosthetic.

You followed your brothers down the stairs and out to the patio. The group was still chatting quietly amongst themselves, except for Drew who was munching down on a burger, and watching you. He may not have been your brother, biologically- but to you and him, he was your brother. He was just as protective as Will and Jay. Drew was closer to you than anyone else in this little group, but you hadn't tried to allow anyone get as close. You knew TC was just like Jay; and you didn't need another one of him. You made your way over to Drew- just to plop down as gracefully as you could. "Hey." You greeted.  
"Short break." came his response.  
"Tell me about it. I should've locked my door." You heard a couple light chuckles coming from his direction. "Shut up." You muttered. He chuckled again, a little louder this time. You elbowed him but watched your brothers immerse themselves in their conversations. You could see them attempting to keep an eye on you, almost as if they were afraid you would disappear. You grinned in amusement at them, as you had missed the sibling camaraderie.  
"(Y/N)!" You heard your name from behind you. As you turned, your eyes grew bigger. TC was walking through your side gate with a bucket. This was not good. Though whether for you or for everybody else remained to be seen.  
Finally, you smirked. "I thought I was throwing this little get together."  
"Well, we decided to see who was better, the Halsteads' or The Night Shift. You know what this means." Ohh, that man was going down.  
"Yep. You're going down, Callahan." Water balloon fights were something that you had introduced as a way to reduce stress and increase morale among the ER department. Ragosa had been against it at first, but after the initial fight, he couldn't deny the results. Eventually, you had gotten him to join in. "First things first, we gotta take care of the food, and put the beer in the fridge. Everyone pitched in and helped put the leftovers in the fridge, while TC, Will, and Topher put away the beer. The game was simple: each team got five minutes to put together a game plan, after that, the winner was whichever team had the higher amount of dry players- anyone who got hit was out.  
Six minutes later, your brothers were following you into your house. Your plan was to get onto your roof quietly, and drop your water balloons onto the opposing team from above. You hadn't used this tactic since you were sixteen. Your brothers had discovered one of your small stashes of chocolate and had eaten it all. So you had tipped a few buckets of water onto them from your dad's roof. They hadn't seen it coming and had dropped the chocolate in the garden as they struggled to cover themselves from the sudden onslaught of water. Once placed there was only one side of the house that wasn’t covered. The fact that TC thought he'd win against siblings who could communicate plans with a simple look, and on your home territory had you amused. Finally, you saw Drew coming out of the house, and since the five minutes were over, you grinned and grabbed a balloon. Holding it just above the spot Drew would be momentarily, you mentally counted down. Five, four, three, two, bombs away! You let go and watched as the pink balloon splattered everywhere.  
"Seriously?!" You heard him yell, and you quickly pulled back towards the middle of the roof so he wouldn't see you.  
"Drew's out!" You heard Michael yell. You made eye contact with your brothers and they shared your grin. Seconds later, you all were armed with balloons and shortly thereafter, you heard three balloons break. You turned around. Jay and Will shrugged with bigger grins than earlier. Uh oh.  
Michael yelled, "Jordan, Topher, and TC! You're out!" You shook your head. Only player left was Kenny. You watched as the panel that you and your brothers had crawled through earlier, was slowly lifted. Kenny didn't know you were behind him, or so it appeared as he didn't bother to check behind the panel before throwing a balloon at Will. Will barely missed being hit, by rolling. You wanted to see how this played out, so you waited to throw your balloon. Kenny chucked another balloon at Jay which hit his shoulder. Dang. Kenny threw another one at Will while he was laughing and it hit him in the chest. With no players left on your team, you had to take Kenny out and you waited for him to come all the way out before nailing him in the back with a silver balloon.  
As soon as it hit him, you threw your arms in the air, and cheered loudly. "Yes! Ha-ha!" The night shift was laughing at the image of you dancing and cheering while standing on your roof. You heard Jay and Will chuckle. You laughed at them soaked on your roof. Apparently, even when they win, they lose. You, Kenny, Jay, and Will all began heading out the yard where everyone else was waiting. Once out there, the three from the roof headed over to Ragosa for a few seconds.  
Then Michael spoke. "And once again, (Y/N) has defended her title as the Champion!" Then three seconds later, you noticed that everyone had their hands behind their backs, and you became suspicious.  
"Um, guys?" Suddenly, you were being hit and soaked with water balloons. Once it stopped, you demanded, "Really? REALLY?" You knew you'd had some sort of revenge coming, but not this soon.

Jay laughed as you had shouted. He had thought it would be fun to let everyone soak you, especially once he heard about your reputation in water balloon fights. And he loved that you used it for work. According to the others, they were happy as well. He understood why you did it. Maybe he could bring the idea- that is, of a fun afternoon with coworkers, not specifically water balloon fights- to Intelligence. Maybe that would help with the stress that seemed to have been compounding in the office lately. A water balloon hit his face and he heard a bark of laughter. He looked at you to see a mischievous grin on your face. He would retaliate, but until later. After all, revenge is a dish best served cold.  
Three hours later, Jay was watching as you were saying good-bye to everyone. He was hoping to see if Will, you, and him could continue the conversation that had been started in your room before the water fight. He had wanted to know what you were referring to when you had stated, "Look at Jay."

Will said goodbye to Jordan, as she was the last person to leave. Then he felt a hand on his shoulder. "What's up, Jay?"  
"Hey, what were you two talking about when I interrupted before?"  
Not wanting to lie, Will answered, "We were talking about how I wished I could've convinced (Y/N/N) to stay, and how what happened to her could've happened to anyone."  
Jay's eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "So how did I get brought into the conversation?"  
"Both (Y/N/N) and I felt like you left and someone else came back, but you were still there, just not all the time. It was hard for us to reconcile the new side of you with the old side that we were used to." Will explained.  
"Oh. So, I still don't understand." Jay was lost in the conversation.  
"Her point was that it felt like you came back in two pieces, like she did. Except, yours was mentally, while hers is both physical and mental. So that's what she meant."  
"Ah. Okay." Jay understood now. He knew how hard it had been for you and Will to give him space when he got back to Chicago from his tour.

You stood on your porch watching Jordan pull out; it'd been a good night filled with fun, friends, and family. You smiled, finally letting your guard down. Sighing, you turned back to go inside, but when you heard your brothers' voices, you hesitated. You decided to let them finish their conversation, and spun back around to go make sure the water balloons had been picked up from the yard. Thankfully, most of it had been picked up already. You were almost done a few minutes later when you heard a voice. "Why did you think our relationship would change with you being part robot?"  
"Have you seen how Will has treated me?" You turned to face your brother.  
"Yeah, but you have put a stop to it every time. You are handling it."  
You put your hand up, "But I shouldn't have to. I don't want to. I want us to be brothers and sister, not doctor, concerned loved one, and patient." You huffed derisively.  
He chuckled, "Yeah, okay. I get your point. We still love you, though, and we just want what's best for you."  
You smiled genuinely, "I know. I just," you trailed off, "I don't know. I mean I know Will is good at what he does, but I am capable of being in charge. I wish he could understand that and behave like he does."  
Jay chuckled, "You know he has never been good at playing concerned brother over doctor. "  
"I know, I know."  
"Good. No matter what you look like, no matter what you do, we still love you, (Y/N/N)."  
"I love you too."  
"Awww! She loves us!" A new voice chimed.  
"Yeah, yeah." You smiled. "Flaws and all."  
"What?" Will feigned a look of horror. "What flaws? I am perfect!"  
You snorted in amusement, "Sure, if that helps you sleep at night." Jay's eyebrows rose in interest of what Will would do next, while you looked smug.  
"Jerk."  
"Bitch." You declared with a grin.  
"Shut up, ya idjits." Finally, Jay joined in. "You both need to learn manners, or was the water to the face earlier, not enough, (Y/N)?" You shook your head, and Jay turned to go back in the house. You stuck out your tongue at him as soon as his back was turned, and Will barked a laugh. "What's so funny?" Jay faced you and Will again.  
"Nothing." You both stated and shared a grin.  
"Why don't I believe you?" Jay asked as he began towards the house. You and Will looked at each other, and started chuckling. You had missed the easiness between you and your brothers. It had been missing since Jay left for his first tour. You followed Will and Jay into the house, to get ready for bed.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last chapter! Sorry this one is shorter than the other two! Enjoy

You bolted upright in the bed, doused in sweat and breathing hard. It was the usual: reliving the moment you lost your leg. That's not to say it never changed; sometimes, it would be everyone leaving you because all they saw were the things you were insecure about. You finally got your breathing under control, and decided to grab a glass of water. You put your foot on the ground and grabbed the crutch that you left next to your bed for these moments. Not realizing your brothers had moved from the couch and the guest bedroom, you accidentally kicked Jay in the side.

"Oof."

"Oh, sorry!" You apologized.

"What's going on?" a voice from the other side of the room chimed.

"What are you two doing in here?" You inquired.

"Well, we didn't want to wake you, but we also figured you were having nightmares." Jay shrugged.

"Okay... So, that puts you in my bedroom because..." Your voice implied the question.

"We wanted to make sure you weren't going to do anything stupid tonight without us knowing." Will crawled to his feet. You flipped on a light finally to prevent further injuries, but nodded in understanding.

"Okay." You smiled, after a moment of thought.

"Okay?" Jay asked.

You nodded again, "Yeah. I appreciate that y'all love me enough to sleep on a hardwood floor to avoid waking me."

"Well, we do love you. So what are you doing up, anyway?"

"Yeah, why'd you kick me?"

"I wanted a glass of water. I took the train to Nightmare City without my consent tonight."

"Oh. Is that normal, because you didn't wake us up until you got out of bed?" Will tilted his head. He was asking in brotherly concern, rather than a physician's concern, and you saw that written in his face.

You took a deep breath before answering. "Yeah. Rough estimate, this happens 2-4 times a week."

Jay jumped in, "Is it the same nightmare everytime?"

"Mostly, yeah. If it's been a rougher night than usual, though, it can be different." Jay nodded in thought. "I am going to go get my glass of water, and any other questions can be answered downstairs, boys." You smirked, knowing there was a good chance they would give you the third degree.

 

Will followed you downstairs, wondering how bad the nightmares were that you wanted a glass of water. He knew, just as you, that sometimes the best healing from a nightmare was a brief change in scenery. When you all finally arrived in the kitchen, Will asked you a question.

"What are they about? The nightmares."

"Most of the time it's reliving the call that cost me a leg. The nights that are a little more difficult, its everyone I love walking away from me." You spoke honestly, knowing there was no point in lying. Besides, lying would do little good, might as well find out if they would stick around for real.

Will nodded thoughtfully, "Hmm, you know that isn’t true right? Come on, (Y/N/N). We love you and always will." You smiled in response.

"I know, and I love you too. Y'all are still a huge pain in my ass no matter what though." You grinned.

"Haha." Jay laughed dryly. "You are hilarious. Is your leg okay?" Concern was leaking in his eyes.

"Yeah. I grab the crutch at night for these moments so I don't spend ten minutes fighting my prosthetic."

"That makes sense." Will responded. "Alright, now that she's had her water, I am going back to bed."

Jay chimed in, "Me too."

"Good, and preferably not on my floor." You saw the look they shared. " _Or_ my floor is fine." Their slight overprotectiveness didn't surprise you, however, it did make you feel a little more secure that they wouldn't leave you. After that, you slept through the whole night without another nightmare.

You woke up the next morning feeling refreshed and better than you had in a while. You sat up and looked on your floor for your brothers, who were nowhere to be seen. But you paused. Was that bacon you smelled? You stomach growled and you crawled out of bed to get food. As you were descending the stair case, you heard the boys' voices.

"Man, you can't be serious!"

"Yeah, it was hilarious. Al told Kevin that, and Kevin totally fell for it." Laughter intermixed with the words. At least they were having fun.

 You spoke as you entered the kitchen, "Boys, don't you know the definition of quiet? You two make enough noise to wake the dead.... Please don't actually try." You teased.

"And you sleep hard enough that we were half convinced you _were_ dead. So, we thought food might rouse you if our conversation couldn't." Will grinned.

"Whatever. Are you at least making bacon?"

"Yes, and if you're nice, you might actually get some." Jay nodded his agreement. You decided that food was more important than proving yourself right, so you nodded in truce.

"Fine."  You sat at your counter, while Will grabbed the plates, and Jay grabbed the cooked bacon out of the microwave. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Nope, we got it, sis. Let us spoil you for a bit."

"Oh, okay." This was something else you had missed since moving to Texas. You started thinking about what you all could do today.

 

 

Three days later, you were sitting at the airport, waiting for your brothers' plane to land. You were sad that they had to leave. But they had lives to get back to. And you knew how important those lives were to them. All too quickly, the three of you were informed of the arrival of their flight over the PA system, and as you stood up with them, you hugged them tightly, promising that you would visit soon, and not stay away as long.

 

Jay was hesitant to let you go, though. He wished he could stay longer, but an urgent case had come up and Mouse  had called him. He promised himself that he would call you or at least text you every day so you wouldn't feel like you had when they'd arrived. He never wanted you to feel that way, and he offered to hook you up with some veterans when you came to see Chicago again.  There was no way  Jay would let you fall through the cracks of the system or the family. He made you promise to call him if you needed help, _for anything_ ; he didn't care what time it was, and he wouldn't care if you woke him up. So long as you would call, he would be okay, because he understood it was a long road back from overseas.

 

Will hugged you as hard as he could. He knew you would come visit as soon as possible and declared that you needed to see Natalie and that Rhodes was becoming too ornery without you around to knock his ego down a few pegs every once in a while. He silently vowed to talk to Ethan about his past, and see if he could get a better understanding of some of your actions, like sitting against the wall in a restaurant. Though, Will knew that was a military thing because Jay and Mouse did the same thing. He also informed you that no matter what you did, where you went, or who you became, he would always be proud of you. He kept his arm around your shoulders as you walked with them to the gate and then when you couldn't go any farther, he kissed your forehead, and boarded the plane.

 

As you watched them board the plane, you realized the anxiety that had been there when they arrived was gone, and in its place sat contentment. You were finally happy. You knew you still had a difficult journey ahead of you, but you weren't worried about it. Life would go on, and so would you.

 

 

  **The End**

**Thanks for reading!**


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